Sakura KaikaYosou
by Tari Laitaine
Summary: FINISHED! SanMir fans! Sango is deeply hurt when she finds Miroku kissing someone else. Not just anyone, a demon! Will she find the courage to tell Miroku how she feels about him, or will she stand aside as this demoness plans Miroku's demise?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters don't belong to me except for the few characters I made  
  
up..., read on to find out more... alright! Alright mumblesI don't own Ramen noodles either.   
  
"Sakura Kaika-Yosou"  
  
Cherry Blossom Flowering   
  
  
  
The afternoon continued like every other typical day in feudal Japan... for a band of demon-  
  
slayers that is. Inuyasha and his gang were physically drained from battling an especially heinous  
  
demon that morning and were presently working on a late lunch.   
  
"Don't you have the fire started yet, Inuyasha?" complained Kagome.  
  
"I ain't no fire-breathing dragon in case you haven't noticed. Ya wanna resurrect the fire  
  
demon we slew this morning to help us make lunch?" Inuyasha retorted sarcastically. The poor  
  
hanyou continued to scour the sticks together in an effort to build a campfire. Unfortunately,  
  
patience wasn't his forte.   
  
Sango returned to the campsite and unloaded a pile of logs near Inuyasha's successfully built  
  
spark. "I hope Miroku isn't cooking today,"she teased. "His meals are more a crime than they are  
  
edible."   
  
Shippou giggled, but the demon-exterminator was surprised to hear no response from the  
  
monk. Looking around she saw him standing at a distance with his back to the clearing in the forest.  
  
Sango approached him and laid a hand on his arm.  
  
"Miroku, I was only kidding. That's no reason to give me the cold shoulder."  
  
Miroku stirred at Sango's subtle touch, realizing for the first time she had been standing by  
  
him. "Oh, hi Sango. Is lunch ready?"  
  
Sango was taken aback by the monk's downcast expression. He was usually more eager and  
  
lively than this. A little bit too lively, Sango blushed, making sure Miroku hadn't slipped his hand  
  
behind her back.   
  
"What's wrong?" Sango asked, ignoring his question. "You look as though you just lost the  
  
shards of the Shikon Jewel."  
  
"No I didn't!" Miroku mock-defended himself slipping his hand nervously behind his head.  
  
Sango saw a glimse of the playful, genuine Miroku she knew peaking through his disraught  
  
countenance. He probably just needed someone to talk to, she reasoned.   
  
Sango and Miroku arrived back at the campsite to find that Inuyasha had successfully  
  
created a blazing fire that would give them a warm meal and satisfied appetites. The hanyou, seated  
  
proudly by his fire, looked pleased, but ready to fight off any sudden gusts of wind that might  
  
happen by. Kagome was acting as a cheerleader, jumping up and down, hugging Inuyasha.  
  
Miroku smiled at the sight of the couple being so friendly toward each other for a change.  
  
Though they may not know it, those two were meant for each other. Everyone seems to have  
  
someone special but me, Miroku said to himself.  
  
What's he smiling about? Sango thought. Probably just admiring Kagome's short dress.  
  
Eventually, everyone settled down to a meal of Ramen noodles and instant pudding, a new  
  
favorite of Shippou's . That was when Miroku saw a small, glistening object peering out of  
  
Kagome's backpack. It was a boxlike trinket with gold accented on the edges and dazzling floral  
  
designs adourning the entire box.   
  
"That look like an expensive box, Kagome," Miroku remarked. "Are you going to put the  
  
jewel shards in it now?"  
  
"What?...oh, the music box! No, this is for my mother."  
  
"A birthday present?" Sango asked, amazed by the beauty of the object.  
  
Kagome shook her head and removed the music box from her backpack pocket, eager to  
  
show her friends the wonders of the future. "No. This is a gift for Mother's Day. Listen to this." She  
  
carefully wound up the golden knob, and a sweet, melody floated through the late afternoon air.   
  
Sango held her hand out. "May I see it? It's beautiful." But Miroku was more interested in  
  
the concept of this Mother's Day.  
  
"It's a special day out of the year when mothers all around the world are honored for the  
  
hard work they do," Kagome explained when Miroku asked. "I hope I can show my mom how  
  
much I appreciate her this Sunday. Sota and I love her so much."  
  
Miroku nodded at Kagome's heart-felt answer. Meanwhile, Sango was fascinated with the  
  
box that played the enchanting melody. Her face lit up with amusement as she started the music  
  
again and again. The monk smiled at the young woman's sweet expression of pure innocence.   
  
"Mother's Day," Miroku mused. The thought refreshed memories of his own mother...  
  
Note: Poor Miroku. It's just ch. 1 and he's already getting a bad rep, or worse one. This mellow  
  
chapter is just the intro, so stay tuned for drama, mystery and action! And if you want to know about  
  
Miroku's mother ( yes, she's one of my characters), its coming in ch.2! 


	2. ch2

Note: This chapter is the emotional one. It's a flashback into Miroku's past. Kind of to set  
  
up for the rest of the story. Have fun and read on....  
  
Twilight had befallen the group and hours had passed since the sun's reassuring face had  
  
shined on them. Fast asleep, everybody welcomed the safety and rest the night provided. Miroku,  
  
though, found it hard to force sleep upon himself when he could not stop thinking of one person.   
  
Lately, he'd been having a reoccurring dream. Not a nightmare, but disturbing nonetheless.  
  
It was a blessing that he could dream about his mother every time he closed his eyes, but it made  
  
him think. Had he truly gotten over her? Losing his second parent had been one of the hardest things  
  
he'd ever endured.....life's a trial.....  
  
Tilting his gaze toward the stars, Miroku recalled the dream in his mind:  
  
Robe pulled up to his knees, eight year old Miroku waded into the chilling river that ran  
  
adjacent to his family's shrine. The curious monk's son eagerly searched the water for anything with  
  
legs or fins. Cherry blossoms glided like a dancing ballerina down to the rushing river. Just as  
  
Miroku slipped and landed butt first in the water, he heard his mother, Lady Sakura of the Shrine,  
  
calling him.   
  
At this point in the dream, the quiet spring scene melted in a rushing whirlpool and Miroku  
  
would find himself in a dark abyss of emptiness. As he flung his limbs in desperation, he realized  
  
that he could find nothing to hold on to for comfort. Slowly the air around began to thicken and  
  
enclose around his arms and face. Opening his eyes, Miroku found his head buried in his mother's  
  
lap. Looking up, he saw her reassuring face.  
  
Lady Sakura was a beauty, an elegance, the embodiment of a flower. Soft petal cheeks tinted  
  
with pink as if a rose had kissed her face. Sakura's sapphire eyes twinkled and her ruby lips curved  
  
into a smile as she cooed, "Miroku, I love you."  
  
Speechless at his mother's simple love, the child Miroku found himself unable to return the  
  
message, a real life mistake he still regretted.   
  
The Lady's face faded into the sky as Miroku came to the end of his dream.   
  
Lady Sakura had died of a malevolent disease shortly after her husband had disappeared into  
  
his own black hole. Ever since Miroku had been born, her body was weak and unable to exert itself  
  
with the same strength she had in her youth. The monk remembered hearing his father say that when  
  
Lady Sakura was in labor, her body was at a moment of weakness. This allowed an evil spirit to  
  
enter her body. She spent the rest her life fighting an internal war with the spirit, which caused her  
  
body to be sick and fatigued. After ten years, she lost.  
  
Miroku sadly remembered his mother's gravesite. In the spring, he would lay cherry  
  
blossoms at the mound. Lady Sakura had always worn them in her hair.   
  
Thinking of these fond and tragic memories brought to his mind the thought of a new young  
  
lady in his life: Sango. Her form was that of a perfect goddess, a divine black-haired beauty. Every  
  
time he was around Sango, he could sense the warm essence of her soul, her sweet yet tough  
  
attitude. Miroku could dwell in this heaven of her's for an immortal life.   
  
"What a lady," Miroku whispered to the galaxies above. With a new more pleasant thought  
  
in his mind, the monk shut his eyes and slept soundly for the remainder of the night. 


	3. ch3

"Aaaaaah!"  
  
Miroku and Inuyasha jerked awake to the sound of Sango's distressed cry coming from the  
  
direction of the hot springs. Kagome looked up from where she'd been digging through her backpack  
  
for breakfast.   
  
From out of the trees, Sango came running with only a towel wrapped around her body, wearing  
  
a scowl that could have belonged to Satan himself.  
  
"It wasn't me, I swear!" were the first words out of Miroku's mouth as he wondered if it were  
  
possible that his fantasizing had somehow reached Sango's mind.  
  
"I know it wasn't you, monk," Sango said through gritted teeth. "It was this nasty little lecher!"  
  
The group followed her finger to a short, elderly man standing calmly next to Sango.   
  
"It was me, that it was," he nodded. "I peeked at the sexy...er... attractive young lady in the  
  
springs."  
  
"Peeked!" the violated young woman shrieked. "I'd say that was a pretty big eyeful you got,  
  
pervert!" Picking up a log from the pile by the fire, Sango slammed it upon the old man's head,  
  
burying him six feet under.  
  
  
  
Once Kagome managed to pull her fire-breathing friend away from the old man, the group  
  
decided to sit around the fire and talk in a "calm and civilized manner" as the elderly traveler  
  
insisted he had an important offer to make.  
  
Messaging the bump on his forehead, he began his story while sitting uncomfortably close to  
  
Kagome. "I have been traveling for nearly two days from the village of Rumiko. The land of the  
  
village is ruled by a wealthy daimyo (Japanese feudal landlord) and his daughter, Sadako. But a  
  
grievance has befallen us. The servants in the daimyo's palace believe Sadako has been possessed by  
  
a demon."  
  
"A demon?" Miroku asked. "What makes you say that?"   
  
"Every night, she disappears out her window. On occasion, we see her talking to a more powerful  
  
demon on the terrace, but we dare not approach for fear of our lives. He is no doubt the source of her  
  
energy."  
  
"Really, you are just too courageous," Sango muttered.   
  
"Sadako has also decorated the throne room in a myriad of charms. Dark power without a doubt.  
  
She seems more bitter and spiteful since her nightly disappearances started."  
  
"Sango," Miroku said. "You're an expert in demonology. What purpose would you say the  
  
charms serve?"  
  
"The charms sustain her energy probably. It requires work for a demon to remain inside a body  
  
and resist being rejected by the human's true spirit. I'll bet the demon possessing Sadako has the  
  
shard of a certain jewel in her back to help make her stable as well."  
  
"It's lucky I ran into you travelers, the old man said. "We need an exorcist or a demon-slayer.  
  
Please! Her safety and the safety of Rumiko is at stake. Do you have any idea what possessive  
  
demons often make their victims do? Self-torture, even suicide! Will you help?"  
  
"Not a snowball's chance in Hell," Sango replied with a sly smile. She was merely teasing the old  
  
man for peeking at her while she was bathing.  
  
"We'll do it," Inuyasha said firmly. "Both Naraku and the Shikon Jewel could be involved."   
  
* * * * * * *  
  
The old man cleared his throat. "I failed to mention another thing about Sadako that has started  
  
along with the nightly disappearances,"he said as they walked toward Rumiko that day. "Sadako has  
  
been taking strange men to her chambers every night, only by morning, they are mysteriously gone. I  
  
fear the demon inside Sadako is using her to satisfy her own pleasures."  
  
"Creepy." (Inuyasha)  
  
"Interesting." (Sango)  
  
"The demon must be stopped!" Kagome preached. "We'll...Miroku, get that stupid blush off your  
  
face! You're not going anywhere near Sadako. Sango, make sure Miroku stays by you at all times  
  
while we're in the palace."  
  
Miroku caught Sango's eyes and for a second, their gazes locked. Sango looked away,  
  
embarrassed, and forced herself to think about something else. Something other than how wonderful  
  
it would be to spend time alone with Miroku..  
  
Note: And there you have it. First 3 chapters of my wonderful story. I would love to do more  
  
chapters and leave the reader at a more suspenseful point in the story, but my bed calls, (and its 1:23  
  
am). Guaranteed this story will have some powerful angst when Sango finds Miroku doing  
  
something that would classify him under the "boys who've broken my heart" list. 


	4. ch4

Upon the terrace in a nearby palace was Lady Sadako, the daughter of a powerful daimyo.  
  
The hazy moonlight reflected off her pallid complexion. The demon slumbering in her heart  
  
awakened, its residence obvious through Sadako's wicked stare.   
  
"You told me you could help me obtain the revenge I wanted," she said to another demon on  
  
the balcony. "So far, you have lied. Every man you've sent me has not been the man I know, the one  
  
I want to kill."  
  
"Patience, my lady," the demon replied. "I always keep my word. Twenty years ago you  
  
were killed by the samurai who had vowed his love to you, and now you wandering soul wishes to  
  
kill him. When I found you, you were a pathetic, powerless ghost with an unslaked want for death of  
  
the one who caused you pain."  
  
"The heartless bastard will die! I'll wring his neck around my finger."  
  
The demon continued his speech. "I congratulate you on your thirst for revenge. It will serve  
  
me well.   
  
"After providing your spirit with a body and a fortress for your trap, I informed you that  
  
your samurai was still alive after twenty years. But he had disguised himself as a monk."  
  
"Five monks you've sent to my palace and not one has been the one I'm looking for. I know  
  
my samurai's face. I was forced to kill each monk I was able to coax into my bedroom so they  
  
would not attempt to drag me out of this body," Sadako said, growing angry.  
  
"But this time I have found him, my lady," the demon nodded. "My servant has made sure to  
  
send the monk and his friends to your palace right away," he said turning toward the balcony to  
  
leave. "He is the one, I am sure of it."  
  
"Your servant? You mean that perverted old lecher?"   
  
"When they arrive at the castle, be aware. All of them, even the monk, have special powers.  
  
Make sure the throne room is still covered with the energy-sustaining charms I gave you. They will  
  
ensure your safety and strength. Remember this, Sakura."  
  
"Don't call me that," Sadako's demon sneered. "You know I only possessed that wench's  
  
body to keep myself alive right after I died. Too bad she had to die on me, her body served me well  
  
for ten years."   
  
Leaving her with this warning, the male demon jumped over the balcony and fled int the  
  
night.   
  
"Don't fail me, Naraku," she growled at his retreating back. "I've waited too long for this."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Are we there yet?" Shippou whined, his usual bounce gone since the group had been  
  
walking for two days now. "My feet are full of thorns."  
  
"You're a demon," Inuyasha grumbled, waving his hand nonchalantly. "Tough it out."  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha, don't be so rude," Kagome chided, her eyebrows raised in concern.  
  
"You need not worry," the old man smiled. "We are almost to Rumiko. It's just over this  
  
hill. I would like to thank you travelers for your kindness, so far all of our exorcists have failed..."  
  
Out of habit, Sango tuned out the old man's tuneless drone and turned her thoughts to a  
  
more pleasant song. The song of the summers when she trained with Kohaku and her father, the  
  
bright sun in their faces. Oh, how she longed for their embrace. A warm hug from her brother, a  
  
goodnight kiss from her father. What she would do know to hug anybody. Her friends Kagome or  
  
Shippou, Miroku...  
  
Sango shook her head agressively. But they were gone now, and nothing could change that.  
  
She was left to face life alone, drowning in her own loneliness. Why did losing her family have to be  
  
so damn painful?  
  
Thinking about the past, Sango missed the anouncement that they had arrived at Rumiko.  
  
Instantly, she spotted the large palace towering over the rest of the buildings. The structure radiated  
  
bad vibes.  
  
Sango's ears perked as she heard the distant sound of a whimpering boy. Playing outside of  
  
Rumiko, he and fallen and hurt himself. Reminded of her scared, yet kind-hearted brother, she  
  
rushed ahead of the group to tend to the boys wounds.   
  
Miroku was again attracted to this perfect, caring angel before his eyes. It was tearing him  
  
apart at the seams that he couldn't bring himself to tell her how he felt. Perhaps one day, he  
  
thought, she will trust me.   
  
Note: yeah! Bravo! Yada yada yada. So now you know how both Sango and Miroku feel about  
  
each other. And that Naraku is involved.... oooh, creepy. Im proud to say that I balance school and  
  
this story at the same time! sigh actually im home sick, ...well technically,im recovering . And  
  
when I should be studying for the algebra or reading Walden, im not. And all I have to say is, I have  
  
my priorities! (Hears mother yelling in background) and now I gotta go study.... 


	5. ch5

Note: alright, im back and feeling a little bit better. Too bad those throat lozenges do nothing but  
  
make the whole inside of my mouth feel numb. And since I've gotten sick, everything I put in my  
  
mouth tastes really weird. But the story must go on...oh yes, and I don't own Listerine (this is getting  
  
rediculous).  
  
Shippou, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku all knelt before Lady Sadako as she welcomed the  
  
foreigners to her palace. (Inuyasha refused to do so). The Lady was stunning, a fierce beauty with  
  
hard, indigo eyes and radiant black hair cascading down her back. Gazing at the strange group of  
  
travelers, Sadako spotted the monk Naraku had sent her.  
  
The old scars of hate imbedded at the core of her memory emerged as fresh and bitter as  
  
ever. This is the man! She thought with ecstacy. He is the samurai that killed me twenty years ago!  
  
The black ponytail, purple eyes, and playful smile were all unmistakable. Oh, how she  
  
would make him pay for the pain he put her through. He would soon know her poison. Tonight,  
  
after she lured the monk to a quiet chamber, he would die.  
  
Feeling as though she was chewing on a mouthful of sour lemons, Sadako found it hard to  
  
force a smile to the visitors as she ordered the gaurds to take them to their room. "You must stay the  
  
night," Sadako cooed. "I couldn't possibly send you back into the cold darkness , now could I?"  
  
"Lady Sadako most definantly has a demon of some sort in her," Sango pointed out later as  
  
the group prepared for bed. "She had that hard, malicious look in her eye. A demon was peering out  
  
of her head."   
  
Kagome spat out her mouthwash, a futuristic habit she couldn't seem to break in the past  
  
where there was no Listerine. "The old man said Sadako was a sweet young lady, not intimidating in  
  
the least. Try as I might, I couldn't see that sort of personality in her a few minutes ago." It was like  
  
trying to picture Kikyo as a saint, she thought.  
  
"That ain't no angel princess we just saw," Inuyasha put in. "What I don't understand is  
  
why a demon spirit would possess a princess so she could seduce men, then kill them."   
  
Kagome clenched her fists. "That's so.....grrr... sick! I don't know what to say! What Lady  
  
Sadako, or her demon, is doing is wrong."  
  
"Did you see the charms hanging along the walls of the throne room?" Sango asked.  
  
"Crystal amulets and small statues at the foot of the throne. If we want any success in battle with  
  
Sadako's demon, we must lure her away from that room where her power is the greatest."  
  
"These halls," the hanyou grumbled. "They reek of blood. She must've killed a dozen men  
  
so far. Funny how they all turned out to be monks. Better watch your back Miroku."  
  
Sango's heart skipped a beat as she came to the sudden desperate realization. "Where is he?!  
  
Miroku's not here!" 


	6. ch6

Note: don't worry. This scene doesn't surpass the sexual content of a PG rating...  
  
Miroku pressed into Sadako's kiss, a sense of pleasure tingling in his lips. He was satisfying  
  
a long wanted hunger inside of himself. The sereneness of the lady's terrace brought a warm  
  
comforting atmosphere under the moonlight. Miroku felt as if his soul had been lifted into a higher  
  
realm of absolute safety. The old man mush have of made a mistake. There was no way Sadako was  
  
a demon. This feeling inside him was unreal. Then why did he have the nagging feeling that   
  
something wasn't right?   
  
Miroku didn't see his partners eyes suddenly flash a stone cold blue, but at the same  
  
moment, he felt a wave of utter guilt slide through his veins. His chest shivered with a uneasy  
  
coolness where Sadako had laid her hand. Her other hand gripped tightly on his arm as he moved  
  
away from her kiss.   
  
Sadako panicked. Was she losing him?  
  
Feeling the cold metal of the dagger tied securely against her arm, Sadako knew any  
  
moment would be perfect. She would carve his tomb with ecstacy , but first she had to prevent him  
  
from losing faith in her. Pulling him closer, Sadako whispered into Miroku's ear, "What's wrong?"   
  
What was wrong with him? Suddenly, Miroku felt unsafe and intimidated. His intuition kept  
  
yelling the same words. "This isn't right! This isn't right!" The message pealing off the walls of his  
  
heart like tainted chapel bells.   
  
But why? He asked himself. This had never felt wrong before... before... before Sango came.  
  
Suddenly he knew why he felt guilty for kissing the lady of the palace in her chambers. It was  
  
because Sadako wasn't Sango. Ever since he met the demon slayer, he had only been truly attracted  
  
to her.  
  
This should be Sango I'm with, he thought. I don't know how she feels, but I love her.   
  
He had resorted to someone else though, since Sango kept pushing him away. And with the  
  
gnawing, lonely feelings he had lately, could he help it?   
  
Sadako's nails grazed his neck, sending a haunting refrain into the depths of his soul.  
  
Miroku stepped back to move away, but no sooner had he tried, he felt Sadako's stone grip on his  
  
arms. A demonic spell encircled Miroku as he began sweating in distress, realizing he couldn't move  
  
a muscle.  
  
"No," Sadako whispered harshly. "There is no way you will escape this time, my samurai. It  
  
was foolish of you to use age defying potions and disguise yourself as a monk. Did you think I  
  
wouldn't find you and avenge my death?"   
  
Sweat rolled down Miroku's face and neck as he chided his stupidity. What he gotten  
  
himself into? This demon ghost of a former human was mistakening him for her murderer! This  
  
wasn't the daughter of the daimyo at all.  
  
Sadako lifted her hands and placed her icy fingertips on the monk's face. "Why?" she  
  
pleading in a softened voice that drew sympathy for this lost soul from Miroku's heart. "Why did  
  
you kill me? Did you find someone else who meant more to you than I did? Did you have to kill me  
  
to get me out of the way?!"  
  
The countanence of the previously beautiful mistress twisted and contorted into a hellish  
  
array of fangs and Medusa's hideous eyes of paralization. "Look at what you've done to me! I hate  
  
you every moment of every day and night. Ever since I've died, my soul is in constant turmoil and  
  
unrest. You've turned me into a monster, a constant soul-consuming beast who is being forced to  
  
slowly kill off the real Lady Sadako to get back at you! I hate you, Seto!"  
  
Frustrated with the position he was in, Miroku closed his eyes remembering the Monk  
  
Muschin telling him that hate could turn the most beautiful blossom into a scaly, thwarted  
  
thornbush. I may as well accept my death as punishment for letting my desires get the better of me,  
  
and for not sharing this special moment with Sango, he thought.  
  
The black-haired demon brandished the dagger from under her kimono and touched the tip  
  
of it to Miroku's lips, "It's a shame you can't speak in your defense. I'd love to see what excuse you  
  
have conjured to plead for mercy!"   
  
Sadako raised the dagger above her head and drove it straight for Miroku's head.  
  
Expecting to feel the intense pain o f of metal slicing though his head at any moment,  
  
Miroku was shocked to hear the sound of a chain rushing through the air as it grasped and tightened  
  
around Sadako's wrists. Miroku sensed the paralyzation spell shatter instantly like a glass globe, his  
  
senses unfreezing.   
  
Heaving a sigh of relief, Miroku realized someone was on the other side of the chain weapon  
  
who had saved him.   
  
A young woman stepped out of the shadows holding the other end of the weapon. Miroku  
  
knew only one person with this fighting style...  
  
"Sango!"  
  
  
  
Note: Okay, Tari has decided that its breaktime. Within the next week I'll post more of my story.  
  
Please review or else how will I know that you read it? I started this story to be told from both  
  
Miroku and Sango's point of view, but It looks like it's gonna be more from miroku's POV than a  
  
sango's. So if you're a miroku fan keep reading! 


	7. ch7

"You...," Sadako hissed as if Sagon's appearance struck a chord in her memory. She  
  
growled in a n attempt to intimidate this new opponent.  
  
"Don't give me any of your crap!" Sango launched her body forward at light's speed and  
  
slammed her fist into Sadako's face.  
  
Swaying for a moment, the daimyo's daughter grasped her head in her hands and slumped to  
  
the floor, laying motionless.   
  
Miroku stared for a moment at the frozen figure, then averted attemtion to his rescuer. What  
  
the... what was wrong with Sango? The monk had never scene such a fierce reaction like this from  
  
her. Sango's eyes were blazing with hate. She rarely ever fought with her fists when battling a  
  
demon.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked unassuredly.  
  
Sango pulled her hand to her chest to calm her labored breathing. An intense anger her  
  
erupted in her a moment ago... the moment she saw Miroku's lips meet Sadako's. The jerk! How  
  
could he do this to her? Didn't he know she cared?  
  
Miroku placed his hand on Sango's shoulder. "Sango, I've never seen you fight like that  
  
before. It was... incredible. But you look pretty shaken up. What's wrong?"  
  
Sango averted her gaze to Miroku's face. Her heart swelled at his touch. Doesnt' he know  
  
that I love him? She watched his handsome face, at the lips that just moments ago had belonged to a  
  
demon. Loving Miroku for who he was, but hating him for touching Sadako in the way he did, she  
  
frowned, looking away, shrugging off his hand.  
  
How could she tell him what was wrong?   
  
How could she explain that her soul had been wretched from her heart the moment she saw  
  
him with someone?  
  
  
  
Sango felt as though she had to break the awkward silence that had formed like a gaping  
  
black hole between them.  
  
He still cares for me as a friend, right? The thought consoled Sango a bit. Or else he  
  
wouldn't look so concerned for my safety. I shouldn't care if he doesn't love me the way I want him  
  
to...but still...  
  
Cocking her head to the side, Sango grinned and teased, "Will you bed with anyone, monk,  
  
even a demon?"  
  
Confused at her sudden, upbeat attitude, Miroku choked, "No!... I would never... she was  
  
very convincing." how could Miroku explain the lonliness and inner torture he braved each day? He  
  
missed his family and needed love. Had he gone too far to resort to Sadako? Yes, he'd already  
  
decided that he'd been an idiot to do it.  
  
Both he and Sango turned away from the palace's balcony and left Sadako's room.   
  
"I suppose we should tell Inuyasha and Kagome the demon has been exterminated," Sango  
  
said as they wlked don the diml lit hallway.  
  
"Sango, I..."  
  
"Let's hurry and get back to the room," she said clenching her teeth. Please, Miroku...don't  
  
try to explain anything... it will only make me hurt more.   
  
Note: So....they both like each other, but neither knows gasp!twilight zone music plays  
  
anyways, In next chapters, we get to see Inuyasha and the gang chased by a mob of angry villagers  
  
while the bad guy throws a hissy fit. Keep reading, I hope you enjoy! Now I gotta go study for the  
  
PSAT. Let's see, Fish is to water and Kikyo is to... Hell! C'ya later! 


	8. ch8

Note: Sorry for the delay, now the story continues.....  
  
The formerly quiet night sky quavered with life as thunder clouds clashed boldly in the  
  
skies. Rain splattered on the roof of the palace, causing Sango and her friends to be grateful for  
  
their shelter.  
  
Refusing to let Inuyasha duke it out with the fire again, Sango lit the candles that  
  
decorated the walls and tables. Upon returning to the room, Miroku had pulled a large blanket  
  
over his head and fallen asleep.  
  
"I'm so glad we're indoors tonight, aren't you, Inuyasha?" Kagome said, smiling. "Oh,  
  
that reminds me! Who wants cinnamon rolls?"  
  
"Cinna-what?" Inuyasha asked with a confused look on his face.   
  
"Cinnamon rolls!" Kagome replied. She pulled a tupperware container out of her  
  
cluttered backpack, opened it, and offered her friends the bakery goods.  
  
"Mmmmmm," Sango said, her spirits becoming brighter with each bite of sugary  
  
goodness. "These are great, Kagome!"  
  
Shippou curled on top of Inuyasha's head with an armful of treats and a satisfactory  
  
smile on his face. "Yummy... cimmanon rolls."  
  
"Get off my head, you little rat! You're making my ears stick!" the hanyou growled  
  
defensively.   
  
Sango giggled and licked the frosting off her lips.  
  
"Should we wake up Miroku and share with him?" Kagome said trying not to choke on  
  
her mouthful from laughing so hard.   
  
The smile faded from Sango's face. "No, let him sleep. He's... had a hard night." Not  
  
knowing where to look at the remembrance of her monk, she nervously examined the frosting on  
  
her fingertips. Kagome's sweet roll suddenly felt like a stone in her stomach.  
  
"What happened in there?" Shippou inquired as he shoveled through Kagome's backpack  
  
for more food. "It must have been an easy defeat since there were no jewels in her body." The kit  
  
pulled his head out of a canvas pocket having found a trinket that satisfied his curiosity. The  
  
mini glass jar holding the Shikon jewel shards gleamed in the moonlight.  
  
"Yeah," Sango mumbled. "Easy... no problem."  
  
Kagome sensed that perhaps when lovesick Sango had found Miroku earlier, he was  
  
probably doing the opposite of an exorcism. She moved to kneel in front of Sango. She shot a  
  
this-is-a-girl's-only-conversation-so-stay-out look to Inuyasha then whispered, "You saw them  
  
kissing, didn't you?"  
  
  
  
Every feeling of love and hate for Miroku welled up inside of Sango and gushed out of  
  
her eyes. Kagome patted her shoulders, giving her time to cry, then talk.  
  
"When I saw him in her arms, I've never hated someone so much. I..." she gasped  
  
through tears for strength, "I hated her for touching him and him for letting her. But... but still..."  
  
"You love him," Kagome supplied. "Believe me Sango, I know what it's like to want  
  
someone so jealously that you hate to see them look at anyone else." Resentful memories of  
  
Kikyo and Inuyasha flashed through her mind.   
  
Sango sniffed and nodded at the truthfulness of Kagome's words. Her face burned hot  
  
like a convict under a heat lamp. Her eyes wandered to where the black-haired monk slept. His  
  
innocent slumber grasped Sango's heart as she realized how much she loved Miroku. His glad  
  
attitude and protective instinct in a tight situation. And the complete attractiveness that  
  
surrounded him She wished to wrap her arms around his shoulders and whisper of her ashamed  
  
crush on him.  
  
"Tell Miroku how you feel, Sango," Kagome added with a hint of hopefulness. "Or else  
  
he'll never know."  
  
Sango wrapped her arms around her unsettled stomach as if to hush it and protested, "Oh,  
  
but Kagome,... it's not that easy..."  
  
At that moment, a long, silver object smashed through that glass wall facing the outside  
  
and cut through the air like a rocket, narrowly missing Sango's head and landing at Inuyasha's  
  
feet.  
  
The hanyou had risen from his seat on the floor as though expecting the missile to come  
  
flying at the window and hissed, "We have visitors." No sooner had he finished this statement, a  
  
shower of rocks shattered the remainder of the window sending shards of white glass raining to  
  
the floor of the room.  
  
"Um... angry villagers?" Kagome guessed warily at the scene before her. Outside, the  
  
frame of the wall stood a crowd of at least thirty livid dwellers from the village Rumiko. Each  
  
brandishing a sword, hoe, or tossing rocks menacingly into the air and catching them again.  
  
Kagome snatched her bow and arrow. Sango's hands flew to her boomerang and said,  
  
"Haven't you heard of common courtesy?"  
  
"Yeah!" Kagome yelled. "What have we ever done to you?"  
  
"Shut up, wench," the nearest male villager sneered. "Don't act like you don't know what  
  
you did." He raised the metal edged hoe in his hand into the air and advanced toward Kagome.  
  
Inuyasha stepped in front of her, growling reproachfully, causing the man to take a step  
  
backward.   
  
He probably just noticed the demon's dog-like ears, Sango thought.  
  
Trying not to appear intimidated, the man bellowed, "Lady Sadako was courteous enough  
  
to let a gang of lowly travelers stay at the palace and this is how you repay her? You have  
  
harmed the daimyo's daughter, and for that you will pay!"  
  
"Harmed?" Sango muttered to herself wondering if she had indeed gotten rid of Sadako's  
  
demon or only further angered her. "And now the villagers are defending her...but why..."  
  
Shippou piped up from somewhere at her feet, "Sango! Remember the old man said only  
  
the people of the palace suspected Sadako was possessed!"  
  
"The villagers know nothing of it," Inuyasha concluded. "They only see this as an attack  
  
on their precious princess."  
  
A villager charged toward Sango. But before the sharp steel point could spell out Sango's  
  
doom, she thrust her boomerang forward to slam between his shoulders. Instantly, the remaining  
  
took the signal and flew forward slinging stones and brandishing knives.   
  
Sango's jumped onto her fainting attacker's back and launched herself forward as she  
  
shoved her elbow into an oncomer's stomach.  
  
Bam! Slam! Crunch! "There are.. too many," she choked through the mass of arms and  
  
legs. She was trying her best to knock them out one after another, but it was getting harder and  
  
harder to move.  
  
Kagome's arrow whistled by Sango's head as it hit one villager squarely in the chest just  
  
as he was about to strike her with a clubbed fist. The arrow glowed with priestess magic to show  
  
the paralyzed victim would awaken in a few days time with a considerably sore chest.  
  
Holding one man off effortlessly, Inuyasha raised Tetsaiga as if to wipe out the entire  
  
gang in one swipe.  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome warned. "Don't you dare... they don't mean any harm!"  
  
"Really?!" the hanyou drawled sarcastically. "Tell me that again after another one tries to  
  
beat me down with a dog bone!"  
  
Sango twisted free of the confusion. "Come on! We're leaving!"  
  
The two girls shoved their way out as Sango grabbed the jar containing the jewel shards  
  
and put them into her pocket. She hurled a sleeping gas bomb in the crowd's direction as  
  
Shippou clamped onto her leg. Inuyasha glanced back in the corner of the room to see Miroku  
  
still sleeping through the chaos.  
  
"I swear, he can sleep through anything," the dog demon sneered. Grabbing the hilt of his  
  
sword, he whacked the monk on the head and yelled, "Get up, idiot!"  
  
Note: whew! That was long. I had to take two sessions to type that one. The next chapter is my  
  
favorite but it will have to wait a day or two. Im so excited. Plz review... and have a fortune  
  
cookie day. Hehe, I can picture Inu and the gang getting chased by a crowd of angry, frothing at  
  
the mouth villagers... 


	9. ch9

Note: thanks so much guys for reviewing! You have made my day. Sorry to have left you in  
  
suspense. Now here's one of my favorite chapters.  
  
The moment Miroku's head hit the pillow, his mind wandered into a dream recently visited  
  
before.   
  
A field under a twilight sky unfolded before his subconscious. The light of the moon sang in  
  
the night sky and whistled through the leaves in gusts of wind. One particular gust of air swept past  
  
Miroku, ruffling his bangs. He gasped as he saw the glimmer of cherry blossoms riding on the wind.  
  
Following the familiar flowers, he dashed into the forest.   
  
It's too early for cherry flowers, Miroku thought as he traced the path of the floating flowers  
  
through the forest, his heart thumping anxiously. In the distance, his eyes caught a white glowing  
  
light emitting a sort of magical essence, it grasped a firm hold on his curiosity and drew him  
  
forward.  
  
Heart pounding from the search, Miroku stepping into a clearing and gazed at the blissful  
  
light source before him.   
  
Sweet and innocent, a sapphire-eyed beauty stood before him. Cherry blossoms adorned her  
  
hair and floated in the pond at her feet. In her temple robes, she appeared very regal, this Lady  
  
Sakura, glowing with a white light.  
  
Realizing her son was there, Sakura turned toward him and opened her arms. "Miroku," she  
  
whispered, her voice resonating in his head  
  
"Mother," Miroku stepped forward then stopped, looking away. This had to stop, too long  
  
had he suffered this recalling of painful memories. Why dream of his mother when she couldn't be  
  
there in a veritable sense? "No," he breathed. "It hurts too much to awaken and discover you're not  
  
real. Just... go away..."  
  
"But I am real!" Sakura protested, firmly stepping forward. "And I miss you." She placed a  
  
hand on his retreating back and he stopped. "Don't... leave me...," she said in a weakened,  
  
whimpering voice.  
  
The monk remembered the characteristics he'd admired and respected his mother so much  
  
for. She had a strong, yet kind heart... so understanding and easy going... to chase away his fears.  
  
Miroku knew one thing for sure now...  
  
This impersonator was not her.  
  
With this realization came a sudden wave of her true self. The demon threw her hand  
  
forward, clasping his throat in her clawed grip, her nails extending like daggers, piercing his skin,  
  
while the other arm swung around his neck.  
  
"I've found a way," she hissed menacingly, her icy breath making him go rigid as warm  
  
blood trickled down his neck. "I'll go to Hell before I allow you to live on without me."   
  
Miroku felt the demon's body shift downward as her legs melted and twisted into a powerful  
  
length of scaly hide and tight muscle. The tendons in her arms tightened under his chin. Sakura's  
  
discarded kimono lay in shreds on the ground. Her transformed eyes were iridescent stones with an  
  
angry glisten. The wicked spirit within Sadako smiled through the silver luster of her fangs.  
  
Moonlight shown off her glassy clear nails as they snaked their way to the pressure points on his  
  
neck and dug cruelly into his flesh. The wind vibrated with the foul intentions of the demoness.  
  
"Now Seto, you die..."  
  
Miroku gasped and heaved for want of air under the iron clasp of her hands. His heart beat  
  
in desperation seeing that the air touching his lips could not pass his throat.  
  
Suddenly, the ground and wind rushed around him as Sadako's power burned into his mind.  
  
Dirt and rocks gave way, flying into his face as his hands began to sink through the debris. Falling  
  
into the demon's despair, Miroku's eyes grew wide with pain as a long, hardened piece of debris  
  
collided with his head.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"Lazy monk!" Inuyasha cursed to himself. "Do you want to die? Wake up!" He raised the  
  
hilt of Tetsaiga to strike the monk again when Miroku's eyes flew open and his quick hand grabbed  
  
Inuyasha's wrist.   
  
"I'm awake! Stop!" Miroku put his hand to his sore head and looked around at the chaos.  
  
"What- Where are-?"  
  
"Kagome and Sango are already gone. Let's go!" Inuyasha ducked an attacker as he swung  
  
a jagged, broken vase at the demon.  
  
Sango, Miroko thought. The thought of her safety pushed his mind to fully awake mode as  
  
he leapt out of the man's way, grabbed his staff and knocked him against the remaining glass wall.   
  
Miroku and Inuyasha sped along Rumiko's streets, feet pounding, sweat in their eyes.   
  
"Inuyasha! Miroku!" a familiar female voice yelled. "This way!" They turned and followed  
  
Sango's cries to a bridge lit in the night's moon. Turning right, they plunged into a cluster of trees.  
  
After confirming Sango was safe, Miroku's mind returned to his dream: how he had almost  
  
died, and how Inuyasha had unknowingly saved his life. 


	10. ch10

"Damn you, monk!" Sadako flew into a rage. Her room looked as though it had been turned  
  
upside down. Glass shards littered the floor. The moonlight lit the pieces, casting an eerie  
  
illumination upon her face. "Twice! Twice I've failed!"  
  
Her left eye twitching in frustration, she paced the room. "What went wrong? It was that  
  
hanyou that woke Seto from his dream, and I can't work my magic while he's awake." She rubbed  
  
her sore jaw. "And who was that nasty wench who spoiled my plans the first time?" Her eyes lit up  
  
(the left one still twitching). " She ... she must be the one who turned my love against me in the first  
  
place! I remember those painful memories too well."  
  
Her spirit suddenly felt as though it was dragging the floor, all energy left her body as she  
  
leaned her head against the wall. Sadako's energy came in a rushing river at times. But right now, a  
  
dam sat in her river. It's this body, she thought, sucking the air in sips. It's the real Sadako, she  
  
wants her body back, so she tries to push me out. At times it makes me ill... how ironic.  
  
"Twenty years ago... Seto... my samurai, vowed his love to me, Yukina. We believed we  
  
were meant for each other. Then Seto left on a mission... to protect the daimyo. I stayed and secured  
  
our love in my heart so it would not be lost while he was gone." Sweat and tears mingled at her ruby  
  
lips. "One year later... Seto came... home."  
  
Yukina's memory opened at the scene twenty years ago. Her burning spirit rejoiced as Seto  
  
stood in front of her. They embraced with harms that had waited an eternity for this. She had shed  
  
tears of joy at his return. Yukina felt Seto's arm shift as he unsheathed his sword, pointing the end  
  
playfully on her waist for a moment, then plunging the silver blade into her back.  
  
"He killed me." Her knees sunk to the ground. Yukina bent her head forward and grabbed  
  
the kimono hanging on the wall and wept bitter tears into it. "Because of some other girl... he had to  
  
get me out of the way."  
  
Her nose perked at the familiar sent of a demon. She pulled back her face in sudden surprise  
  
as she saw her tears had fallen not into her kimono, but the hem of Naraku's clothing.   
  
"Congratulations on failing again," the black-clad demon sneered above her. His fangs  
  
glimmered at the edge of his mocking lips.  
  
Sadako eyes seered red with indignation. Forcing strength into her weak legs, she stood and  
  
glared at Naraku.  
  
"This mess-up was on your part," Naraku said. "Not mine. I delivered your murderer to  
  
you."  
  
"Don't you think I know that?"she bit back.  
  
"I told you they were powerful. You didn't heed my warning.."  
  
"Don't chide me!" She slung out her dagger in the direction of the demon's ribs. Naraku  
  
vanished and appeared again behind her, Yukina's attacking wrist gripped in his steely hold.   
  
"Forget not that I could easily destroy Sadako's human body and leave you as the pathetic,  
  
mourning soul you were before!" Naraku bellowed, then whispered, "I made you a demon. I can  
  
easily destroy you." There was a pause as his death threat echoed in her mind . "Now tell me what  
  
went wrong."  
  
"It was that demon hunter... Sango." Sadako spat out the name in sheer disgust. "I wasn't  
  
prepared for her attack. Then, that half-demon awoke Seto before I could murder him as he dreamt  
  
of his dear mother." She paused, deep in thought.  
  
"Next time I fight them," she said. "They need to be on my turf. But how can I lure them  
  
back to Rumiko?"   
  
Naraku stared intensely back at Yukina as though he had heard nothing. "Do you like the  
  
body and powers I've granted you?"  
  
Yukina outstretched her arm forward as if to catch the moonlight. Glimmering, black scales  
  
emerged beneath her pulsating flesh. Her muscles bulged and her nails each pointed the length of her  
  
face, resembling that of a dragon's claw.   
  
"I love it," she whispered in a harsh, pleasurable tone.  
  
Naraku smiled. "Then I have a plan."  
  
Note: okay, in case you're confused with the name change, let me help you. Yukina is the girl who  
  
was murdered by her samurai lover Seto. Naraku gave Yukina's ghost lady Sadako's body to live  
  
in. Understand? Okay. review plz if you haven't and there's soon more to come! 


	11. ch11

The next morning, the sky loomed overhead with a forlorn face, a subtle cool wind rushing  
  
among the leaves. The sun had risen to shine only briefly, then hide behind the wispy, gray clouds.  
  
Deep in their forest of refuge, Inuyasha and his gang had awoken to the unnaturally cool morning  
  
and decided to make breakfast. Hochi, Miroku's badger friend, had found the wandering crew and  
  
joined them for the meal. While the boys were left with the burden of cooking (this time Miroku   
  
took charge of the fire), the girls snuck away to the nearby hot springs.  
  
"Are you sure it's alright to leave those two in charge of making food that people will  
  
actually be eating?" Sango asked warily.  
  
"Oh, they'll figure something out," Kagome chuckled. "Even if it's to make Hochi do  
  
everything."  
  
Sango's tense muscles absorbed the warmth of the springs, rinsing themselves of the  
  
numbing stress of the previous night's fight. Funny how sitting in the warm water soothed her body  
  
but was powerless to ease her aching heart. A heart aching for him...  
  
"That sure was a close call last night," Kagome sighed.   
  
"Yes," Sango said, snapping quickly out of her thoughts. "Yes it was."  
  
"Are you feeling alright? You look really pale."  
  
"Just tired," the feudal girl said. Tired of wanting something I can't have, she thought.  
  
"Sango, Lady Kaede taught me much about illnesses and the herbs that cure them. But I  
  
can't offer anything that can get rid of your love sickness for Miroku. That has to be dealt with in  
  
the open," Kagome said. "Tell him how you feel."  
  
Sango smiled weakly at her friend. "When I'm around him, I feel so at ease. He's like a  
  
friend, but something much deeper. He can understand my anguish, because he's gone through the  
  
pain of losing his family like I have. When Miroku is injured, I wish to lay at his bedside until he's  
  
better. Even if it makes me angry when I sit worried to death for his life and all he can do is groan in  
  
pain while sneaking an arm behind my back to grab my butt, at least I know he'll live and that his  
  
hands are still fully working. It's hard to describe how light-hearted I feel when I think about him  
  
and how I never want to be apart from him."  
  
Kagome leaned her chin on her hand, "And even when he does do irritating things like that,  
  
he's just saying that he...uh... wants to be with you. Miroku has great respect for you, Sango, I can  
  
tell. He does a lot to try and please you."   
  
"I just don't want to be hurt so soon, you know? Right now the only thing I need is to heal. I  
  
miss Kohaku and father so much. If I find out Miroku likes Sadako better .... my heart would be  
  
crushed. I don't think I could go on living. For all I know, he still sees me as just a friend." She  
  
stood with a deep look of doubt and contemplation on her face. "I don't know what-"  
  
Sango's trained, demon-sensitive ears perked towards a dark corner in the forest surrounding  
  
them. She grabbed her kimono and reached for her boomerang... Kagome sensed it, too...  
  
Something wasn't right.  
  
Note: OK. That was the last Sango/Kagome "Lets bond" talk in this story. I just thought Sango  
  
needed to talk more about how she feels and stuff. So... coming up Inuyasha and Miroku talk "man  
  
to man", then there's the face-off, the big finale! Keep reading... 


	12. ch12

"You're awfully quiet," Inuyasha pointed out to Miroku. "What's eating you? Sadako not a  
  
good enough kisser for you?"  
  
"That's not funny!" Miroku retorted with a look of anger on his face.  
  
"I was just kidding, monk," Inuyasha said, shocked at Miroku's furious reaction. Pausing,  
  
the hanyou leaned to get a closer look at him. He pointed to the bruised marks wrapped around the  
  
monk's neck. "Hey, what exactly did you and Sadako do last night?"  
  
"We just kissed," Miroku said defensively. Just a kiss... well, it was a pretty deep one, he  
  
thought with tortuous guilt. But these marks are from that dream when my mother... no! not my  
  
mother... that demon... tried to strangle me.   
  
He placed his hand at his throat, which throbbed with every breath he took. That wench  
  
knew that his weakness lied in wanting to see his mother again. Did Sadako know his other  
  
weakness? Did she know about Sango?  
  
If he had a second chance, he would never have followed Sadako to her room. He had only  
  
done so to sooth his want for Sango, feeling as though the demon-slayer had no interest in him,  
  
maybe even hated him. What he'd done was wrong, he knew that now. He hated Sadako and her  
  
seductive ways. A thousand times he'd choose to spend his life with Sango over her.  
  
"Inuyasha, about last night," Miroku began. He told the hanyou about the dream that had  
  
almost killed him had Inuyasha not woken him up.   
  
"Why does Sadako want to kill you so much?" Inuyasha asked.(Both had forgotten about  
  
breakfast, leaving a grumbling Hochi and Shippou to manage the chore.)  
  
"She said something about sending me to Hell. It's almost as though she's mistaken me for  
  
someone else she's seeking to get revenge on. Through the chaos, I could sense the remnants of a  
  
human soul in her body. Like she wasn't always a demon."  
  
"Half snake, half woman," Inuyasha mused. He had heard of demons before who could  
  
shape-shift in this way at will. But if the demon possessing Sadako was previously a human, where  
  
had she gotten her demon power?  
  
Miroku then cleared his throat and hesitantly confessed to his friend how much he loved  
  
Sango and how he was tearing himself apart for the incident with Sadako.   
  
"Well that's obvious," Inuyasha replied.   
  
"Wuh... it is?" Miroku stumbled at the hanyou's response.  
  
"Yeah." Inuyasha gazed into the distance as if to think of someone else. "When you look at  
  
her, your eyes get all glazed over like you're possessed and in some fantasy land. And its not just a  
  
lust look in your eyes, like a genuine want to be with her." Inuyasha shook his head as if to shake  
  
off the sappiness of the rare moment in which he showed emotion. "You know what I mean, you get  
  
this stupid look on your face," he concluded with a scowl.  
  
"You're such a romantic," Miroku teased.  
  
"Feh. So tell her how you feel and stop griping about it."  
  
Miroku sighed, his soul became heavy with doubt. But would she understand? What if she  
  
didn't feel the same way and thought him fool for expressing his desire to have a woman in his life?  
  
There is a certain kind of love a woman can express to a man, whether the relation be mother  
  
to son, or wife to husband. Every woman illuminates with a joyous affection, a heavenly sort of  
  
glow that touches those she loves. When a mother holds her boy child, he feels the safe haven of her  
  
arms enclosing him in complete love. Miroku had lost this kind of love long ago when his mother  
  
died. He missed the feeling of simplicity and bliss that had passed on with her, leaving him behind.  
  
This love a woman can give to her husband was what he needed now to feel complete again,  
  
he needed the love of Sango. This warming glow surrounding a female... Inuyasha sensed it too,  
  
around Kagome. He must have seen it once too around Kikyo, before she was bathed in the hate and  
  
vengeful obsessions of Hell.  
  
Could Sango ever understand? I must try, Miroku decided.   
  
Suddenly, a scream of panic resounded through the trees, shaking the leaves to the ground  
  
and bringing the two men to alertness. Surprised, Hochi yelped and knocked over his pot of boiling  
  
water over onto Inuyasha's leg. The hanyou soundly thanked him for it with a smack on the head.  
  
The scream come from the direction of the springs. A sense of anxiety leaped in their  
  
stomachs as they bolted to Sango and Kagome's rescue.  
  
"Inuyasha," Miroku panted as they ran. "Remind me why we're doing this. The last time  
  
this happened, the girls didn't really need out help, then gave us head injuries that wouldn't let me  
  
think without pain for a week, just for peeking at them."  
  
"I thought you said it was worth the pain, monk," Inuyasha joked back.  
  
Miroku smiled. "Right. That's a good reason."  
  
They flew on light, hurried feet to the clearing to find Kagome in her school clothes looking  
  
angry and frustrated.  
  
Inuyasha started, "Kagome what's-"   
  
"Sango!" she screamed hysterically, tears forming in her eyes. "We have to go save her! She  
  
took Sango!" She grabbed her bow and arrows, then looked at the dumbfounded boys.   
  
She stared at Inuyasha, who hadn't made a move yet. "What are you doing?! She took her-"  
  
The hanyou grabbed her shoulders, "Kagome! Calm down and tell us what happened. Was it  
  
Naraku?"  
  
"Sadako! That evil woman came and kidnapped Sango!" she shook her head in frustration,  
  
there was no time to talk. "She turned into this hideous monster and paralyzed Sango before she  
  
could fight back."   
  
Miroku looked at Sango's forgotten belongings. The Shikon Jewels were gone.   
  
"My arrows weren't enough. Inuyasha, Miroku, I'm sorry," she hung her head in shame.  
  
Miroku's voice fought to find its way. "Sadako's turf will be more dangerous to fight on, but  
  
Sango's our companion. A strong, unfailing girl whose never abandoned us. We're going to save  
  
her."  
  
Kagome nodded determinedly. "If we hurry, we can make Rumiko by nightfall."  
  
Note: I hope you guys are lovin it so far. Make sure to plz review! Oh, and about the whole section  
  
on how special women are, I wasn't suggesting that all girls are all lovey and fluffy. Just that we  
  
seem to have a sort of nurturing sense, you know? 


	13. ch13

The forest of never ending of trees rushed beside Inuyasha and Miroku as they bounded  
  
along the forest floor at the speed of light, Kagome clinging to the hanyou's back.  
  
At nightfall, the palace of the demon mistress loomed like the widening mouth of Hell in  
  
front of them. Illuminated white demons floated gracefully across the entrance with an alert eye on  
  
the intruders.  
  
"Sadako is welcoming us with her weak defense," Kagome pointed. "She's set the trap, now  
  
we walk in. That's her plan."  
  
"Then we fight," Inuyasha declared pulling out his Tetsaiga as it enlarged to its full demonic  
  
form.  
  
"Miroku," Kagome said hesitantly as though she'd rehearsed what to say to him before  
  
entering the palace. "I don't know how much you care for Sadako, but we may have to kill her."  
  
"We will," Miroku whispered firmly. A motivation stronger that he could explain was being  
  
wielded deep within him, driving him forward with an aggressive determination to see Sango alive  
  
again. This feeling of an undying urge to protect the ones he loved... it was a feeling he hadn't felt in  
  
a long time.  
  
* * * * * *   
  
"Feel you soul being drained as you realize your life means nothing," a satanic voice  
  
whispers.  
  
Sango felt as though she was floating in a vast miasma of pulsing fluid. A low humming  
  
sound vibrated against her ears, soothing her body. As the soothing sensation encompassed her body,  
  
her limbs felt as though they were growing numb...  
  
...slowly dismembering from her body...  
  
...not a care in the world...  
  
...Miroku?...  
  
"Not a place to call home, not a meaning in your life. You may as well let go of life now,  
  
forget who you are. It's pointless to go on... so let go of your soul and leave it behind."  
  
...father is dead...  
  
...Kohaku is suffering...  
  
No. This isn't right. My life can't mean nothing... I can't end like this. In the tiniest nook of  
  
Sango's mind, behind a wall of magic there was a force, a reason to keep living, pleading to be set  
  
free. But was it? She had to fight this.  
  
"Go to sleep, you care of nothing... sleep, and you'll never feel pain again..."  
  
...life's a trial..  
  
"Sleep," the voice persisted.  
  
"NO!" Had she just said that? Sango's eyes flashed open and absorbed the scenery all at  
  
once. She knew this place. Her mind fought to break the barrier of demon magic. A demon...  
  
possessing the daimyo's daughter... a throne room.  
  
"Sada-!" Bam! A hard, cold, bony fist collided with Sango's face, knocking her to the  
  
ground. She immediately rushed to her feet on instinct to behold in her vision a beautiful blue-eyed  
  
demon illuminating with a lurid light.  
  
The sudden rush of the slayer's life swung full throttle toward her as she overcame Yukina's  
  
memory charm. Every emotion she'd ever felt, every friend rushed and fought inside her skull: the  
  
bloody scene as her father's mangled body collapsed to the ground. Her brother's body speared with  
  
arrows...  
  
Sango howled with the devastating pain of the remembrance of her past. Falling to the  
  
ground, she grasped her tortured head between her hands.  
  
What did she have to live for?  
  
...no hope...  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Tetsaiga!" Inuyasha bellowed as he sent his sword slicing through a hundred rabid demons.  
  
A blood splattered twilight sky hung overhead.  
  
"Kagome! Look out!" the hanyou yelled frantically as a demon with a mouth full of teeth  
  
sailed through the air toward her.   
  
"AAAAAAHHH!" she screamed in pain as the monster sank its teeth into her thigh.   
  
Crunch! Miroku's staff crushed the demon's skull, forcing it to loosen it's grip. Jumping  
  
back he welcomed the holy power rising from the pit of his stomach, traveling the length of his arms.  
  
The air around him swelled with magic as he pulled a scroll from the folds of his sleeve.  
  
The demon reared its ugly face from Kagome's belly to challenge the monk as Inuyasha ran  
  
to her side. A low guttural growl mingled with the sent of blood rose from his mouth as he widened  
  
his jaws for another brutal attack.  
  
Miroku laced the scroll on the tip of his staff and aimed for the demon's mouth then  
  
charging, he quickly changed direction and grasping one end in each hand, rammed the scroll tipped  
  
end into the monster's throat, crippling its ability to breath. With a sigh of crushed cartilage, it  
  
collapsed to the ground.  
  
"Miroku," Inuyasha stumbled for words to express his shock. "I've never seen you fight like  
  
that." Since when was the monk so aggressive?  
  
"Inu...yasha...oooh," Kagome gasped in pain and pressed her hands over the wound,  
  
"Sango..."  
  
"Oh, right. Get on my back... and Kagome? Be careful." For a moment the hanyou and  
  
Kagome eyes locked in concerned love. Miroku cringed and turned away at the sight of this. What if  
  
Sango didn't survive Sadako? Would he be forced to spend the rest of his life watching two of his  
  
closest friends share something that he couldn't have? What if he had to bear the guilt of Sango's  
  
death along with that of his mother's?  
  
Leaving Kagome and Inuyasha trailing behind to catch up, he lept up the stairway of Lady  
  
Sadako's palace ready to die saving Sango's life.  
  
Note: I apologize to the readers that it takes me so long to post chapters. I'm pretty busy  
  
unfortunately with school. Oh, and I changed the rating because I thought PG was kind of pushing  
  
the limit with the fighting and Lady Sadako's .... um... hobby. Anyways, keep reading! And thanks  
  
so much you guys who are reviewing! 


	14. ch14

Note: Is katana a japanese word? I'm not sure, but for those of you who don't know what it is, it's a  
  
sword. (I read it in this fantasy book and then I couldn't find katana in the dictionary.)   
  
At the end of Sango's grief ridden vision glowed a constant ardent hope. This hope would  
  
pull her through her malicious memories and through life itself. As she approached this light, it  
  
wrapped its arms around her waist and lifted her to her feet. This hope was the memory of Miroku,  
  
her warm, generous friend... the only memory that kept her from dying of grief. And this beautiful  
  
memory would not let her be defeated by a demon.  
  
Yukina stared at the slayer in complete awe. How can she stand as though she's ready to  
  
fight me? she thought. The overwhelming flood of her bad memories was supposed to cause her to  
  
die from sorrow.  
  
Sango slid her katana out of the sheath, all the while keeping a stone glare of intermingled  
  
hatred and revenge locked with Lady Sadako's sapphire eyes. "You tried to kill someone very close  
  
to my heart. Whether or not her has feelings for you, I don't care. I will make you pay with your  
  
life."  
  
"How were you able to overpower my Spell of Forgotten Memories? As I used my magic to  
  
drain away all hope in your mind, you slowly began to release your soul from your body. But then  
  
you defeated my spell, and stole your memories back. Even then your should have died from the  
  
sudden remembrance of all the pain you've ever endured!"  
  
Sango's temper flared. "Shut up! I'm sick of listening to your voice! Do you have any idea  
  
what it's like listening to you? For hours I lay here listening to your drab, monotone voice feed  
  
doubt into my mind, telling me I was worthless and that life is too miserable to bear. And I'm sick of  
  
it! So just stop boring me!"  
  
Her silver-bladed katana flew through the air in the direction of Yukina's face. The demon's  
  
hand jerked upward in defense, glowing with a black light, forcing the katana away with her energy,  
  
and sending Sango skidding across the floor.  
  
"What do you have against monks anyway?" Sango growled. "Killing them after making  
  
love to them. You make me want to hurl!"  
  
The black light radiating from Yukina's fingers lengthened and solidified into two daggers.  
  
"You don't know the half of it you stupid girl! I was told by a very reliable source that the one that  
  
had murdered me had disguised himself as a monk. He gave me a body and demon powers for my  
  
plan of revenge."  
  
Clang! Metal clashed in the eerie atmosphere of Yukina's chambers, one katana skillfully  
  
slicing though the air to block the two daggers fighting their way to her heart. "Just because you  
  
can't keep a steady mate doesn't mean you can come after the one I love!" Sango gasped.  
  
Yukina raised her arm and hurled one of the daggers in Sango's direction. The demon-slayer  
  
dropped to the ground, avoiding the attack, swinging her leg out and knocking her opponent to the  
  
ground. The thrown dagger landed with a thud on the opposite wall.  
  
Sango quickly jumped to her feet, setting the sole of her foot on top of Yukina's head, her  
  
katana hovering in the air, ready for the final, swift attack.  
  
"Twenty years ago Seto belonged to me before you stole him and deceived his heart!"  
  
Yukina screamed.  
  
"Seto?"  
  
"That monk you travel with... your lover.. He used to be mine!"  
  
"Twenty years ago Miroku was a baby," Sango argued. "I think you have the wrong  
  
person."  
  
"Long ago I wasn't the bloodthirsty demon-ghost stealing bodies, hungry for the death of the  
  
one who killed me. For ten years after my death, I resided inside the body of a Lady Sakura, which  
  
eventually caused her to fall ill and die. But I didn't care, I just wanted to know why Seto would do  
  
such a thing to me," the demon said, her eyes clouding with sad reminiscence. "I was a beautiful  
  
woman by the name of Yukina loved by a samurai with a heart of gold, until he returned from a  
  
long journey and killed me. And why I ask? Because of you."  
  
Sango relaxed her foot a bit as the demoness revealed her confusing past. Though she was  
  
angry at Yukina's attempt to kill Miroku and about all the other people she had caused pain, she  
  
couldn't help but feel a little sorrow for the woman whose hate had morphed her into this vengeful  
  
monster of darkness.   
  
"You should have let go of your hate long ago, Yukina," Sango said. "It's going to  
  
end up destroying you eventually."  
  
Yukina's pupils disappeared as her nails lengthened and fangs protruded from her lips. With  
  
Sango distracted, she threw the demon-hunter off her back and yelled, "Oh, spare  
  
me! I don't suppose a loved one has ever played backstabber with you!"  
  
Sango stumbled a few steps, thrusting her katana into the ground for support. My God, she  
  
thought. This woman really is serious. She really does think Miroku is this Seto of hers.  
  
A sudden rush of cold wind caused both Sango and Yukina to turn heads to the appearance  
  
of a black-haired person in the doorway.  
  
Oh goodie, Sango thought sarcastically. I'll bet he's her "reliable source."  
  
It was Naraku.  
  
Note: Don't forget to keep reviewing guys! I feel like all of a sudden no ones reading story. How's  
  
this: no ending unless I get some feedback! (Smiles sweetly) thank you! 


	15. ch15

Note: I apologize for how long it took to get these last parts of the story posted, but ch15 was hard to  
  
write for some reason. Thank you so much to the people who've reviewed! Get ready for the best  
  
(and longest) chapter. So, to pick up where we left off...  
  
"Naraku," Sango whispered harshly with loathing in her voice. The demon who had  
  
murdered her family and caused so many people unjustified anguish... he was behind this?  
  
"Pardon me for the intrusion, but it thought you would have the job done by now, Yukina,"  
  
Naraku sneered.  
  
"I can do this on my own, Naraku!" Yukina yelled. "So get out of my way!" Lifting her  
  
hands into the air, the draft in the room began to pick up, sweeping through her long, black hair. The  
  
charms and amulets adorning the walls glowed with an eerie light as Yukina's legs wrapped and  
  
melted into each other, black ebony scales emerging from her skin. A sharp growl emerged from her  
  
throat as her body surged with demonic power, an ugly, contorted grin on her face.  
  
As the atmosphere around Yukina swelled with a foreboding energy, Sango could sense the  
  
last remnants of Lady Sadako's real soul wither away.  
  
"Listen, Yukina," Naraku said sternly. "You deal with Seto when he comes. But leave  
  
Sango to me. This demon-slayer has caused me enough problems, always thwarting my plans when  
  
she should be dead."  
  
The moonlight reflecting off the sheer hate in her eyes, Sango channeled her spirit energy  
  
into her sword, and charged toward Naraku.  
  
Bam! Naraku's fist slammed into Sango's face as her katana pierced his shoulder, burning  
  
into his flesh, and creating a foul smell. The demon clutched his injured shoulder as Sango went  
  
skidding across the room.  
  
Her body lay motionless on the floor as Naraku's eyes burned with fury. He'd forgotten how  
  
powerful this girl was.   
  
Sango groaned and lifted her head, warm, crimson blood running over her left ear. Through  
  
her shaky vision she watched as a blurred figure downed in a black and purple kimono approached.  
  
"Sango, Sango," he taunted. "You know I'm an honest man. What's wrong? You don't  
  
believe me? What if I returned something that belongs to you?" Naraku reached his hand behind his  
  
back, pulling out Sango's boomerang weapon. "You dropped this in the forest. I'm sure you want it  
  
back!"  
  
Sango gasped as the demon lifted her weapon in the air, then slammed it onto her weak legs.   
  
The sound of thunder ricocheted off the walls as the slayer listened to the odd crunching  
  
noise her bones made and they split and speared through her skin.   
  
My god... she thought... this can't be real... the bones above my knees... completely  
  
shattered!   
  
Her head swooned unsteadily as a dizzying nausea rushed over her upper body. Below her  
  
waist, the pain spread like poison eating away her flesh. She had been rendered helpless, now all she  
  
could do was wait for Naraku to seal her fate and end her agony.  
  
"Now, Sango, say your last prayers," Naraku taunted. "Because your sure as Hell going to  
  
need them." Pulling the boomerang upward, he swung the weapon down with increasing speed.  
  
Sango braced herself for the final blow... the wooden end rushing to collide with her head.  
  
This is the end, she thought. Here I am surrounded by people who hate me, my weapon  
  
betraying me... and I end like this?  
  
"Sango, no!"   
  
Sango turned her head in the direction of the desperate voice as she saw a purple-robed  
  
figure step in her line vision.  
  
Slam! The sickening crack of bones resounded off the stone walls as Sango gasped at the  
  
scene before her. Naraku, was confused to see that Miroku had leapt in the way, his arm now pinned  
  
to the floor between the heavy weapon and the wooden planks where Sango's head should have  
  
been.   
  
The monk's eyes glazed in pain as he hesitantly looked down at the damage... his massacred  
  
arm.   
  
"Miroku!" Sango screamed. No! The idiot, she thought. Why had he done that? Couldn't he  
  
see he was putting his life in danger?  
  
Miroku clutched below his shoulder in an attempt to dull the awesome pain of his shattered  
  
arm. He began to sweat as he realized he couldn't feel his hand! The link between his  
  
thoughts and the nerves below his wrist refused to respond.  
  
"Oh, Miroku," Sango whispered. Her voice scratchy and hoarse from the strain of breathing.  
  
Tears beaded at her eyes, "You fool."  
  
"And what a fool he is," Yukina brayed loudly. The long, twisted form of a snake, headed by  
  
the top half of a woman lifted her head pridefully. "Any last words, Seto, before I return the favor of  
  
my death? Perhaps you'd like to beg for mercy?"  
  
Miroku groaned at the awful retching sensation in his crushed arm. "Sadako-  
  
"Yukina!" the demon bit back reproachfully. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the name of  
  
the Lady you loved after all these years. Did my kiss me nothing to you, my samurai?"  
  
"Yukina,... listen to me. You cannot trust Naraku... whatever he has told you, he's only in  
  
this for his own gain.... He's not whom you think he is... and neither am I."   
  
The demoness raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Are you trying to tell me that this demon is  
  
just using me and that you resembling my Seto is just a coincidence?"   
  
"Yes... Naraku takes advantage of the broken-hearted:... people like you."  
  
"But... how can that be? Naraku is the only person who's ever been good to me... NO!  
  
You're lying to me again, Seto. Like when you told me you loved me so long ago. Liar!"  
  
Naraku smiled to himself, shaking his head. "Such a shame, so gullible," he whispered. With  
  
a thud, he yanked Sango's weapon out of the floor where it had Miroku's arm trapped, and slung it  
  
over his shoulder.   
  
Now free, Miroku burst forward, slapping an incantation scroll onto the snake demon's face  
  
with his good arm.   
  
Screaming a pitch that could raise the dead, she reared backwards with her hands clamped  
  
over her eyes. The putrid smell of burning flesh wafted through the room as her melting skin seeped  
  
through her fingers. Weeping, Yukina slunk into a corner of the chamber moaning: "My face... my  
  
face..."  
  
Miroku's vision suddenly became blurry as his stomach lurched with nausea. Clutching his  
  
broken arm to his chest, he turned to the other demon present.   
  
"Tell me, Naraku, how did you deceive Yukina? What lies did you feed her to make her  
  
want to kill me?"  
  
Naraku's eyes glowed menacingly in the moonlight. "I merely told her wandering ghost that  
  
the one whom she sought revenge on had taken the guise of a monk. So gullible people become  
  
when they are blinded by hate. So willing to believe anything."  
  
Yukina sniffed and pulled her hands away from her mouth, "What are you talking about?"  
  
Suddenly overcome by surge of insanity, Naraku threw his head back and laughed. "The  
  
wench is so annoying, I'm surprised the real Seto didn't kill her before I stepped in."  
  
Miroku, who'd crawled to kneel by the paralyzed Sango, whispered, "What does he mean?"  
  
Sango moved uneasily,"Knowing Naraku and his Grade A shapeshifting skills, I'd have to  
  
say he slew the real Seto and returned to Yukina in his form only to kill her, too. Isn't that right,  
  
Naraku? You played with her heart, just like you played with mine."  
  
"Remind me again when that was, demon-slayer," Naraku said coolly.  
  
"When you slaughtered my village and tried to trick me into killing my friends, you  
  
bastard!"  
  
"Right. That demon-slayer village, so easy to destroy. I forget how many lives I ruin so I can  
  
take advantage of their pain-stricken state and mold them into my slaves."  
  
"And what, Naraku, do you have against me?," Miroku demanded.   
  
"Haven't you figured it out yet? Ever since the Shikon Jewel has been shattered by that  
  
reckless girl, hundreds of monks have deemed it their holy duty to collect the shards. I figured since  
  
Yukina was so willing to kill, I could use her to knock out a few of those annoying monks while I  
  
was at it. And you... Miroku... have sought to murder me on numerous occasions. Why should I not  
  
return the favor? It is the reason why I create revenge-hungry humans. They are most efficient at  
  
doing my dirty work."  
  
Sango stared at Yukina, that pathetic heap of heart-broken, weeping monster. For a  
  
moment, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for this girl who had honestly believed her loved one  
  
had murdered her because he didn't care for her any more.  
  
But still, Yukina had let her lunatic obsessions get the best of her. She'd been so willing to  
  
kill the innocent just to get her way. Sango had made her decision... she would have to kill Yukina.  
  
"Miroku," she whispered. "Get me a bow off the weaponry wall. I have a plan." Confused,  
  
but willing to obey, the monk quietly stepped to the opposite as Yukina and Naraku chewed  
  
each other out.  
  
"Please body, don't fail me now," the demon-slayer pleaded as she used all the strength in  
  
her dizzied muscles to push herself into a sitting position. Her battered legs shrieked in agony as the  
  
upper half of her body weighed upon them.   
  
Sango then plucked a long strand of her chocolate brown hair and grabbed the bag of jewel  
  
shards at her waist. Pouring them onto the floor, she hoped desperatly that this would work.  
  
She began to wrap the jewels along the strand of hair as though she were making a necklace  
  
of the shards. Miroku laid the bow in Sango's lap and watched as she wrapped the jewel-laiden hair  
  
around the blade of her katana.  
  
As Sango had hoped, the silver blade began to glow with the pure power of the Shikon  
  
Jewels. A power that could defeat all evil... if untainted by hate.  
  
"How could you do this to me?!" Yukina screamed at Naraku, heartache and pain welling in  
  
her eyes. "You held me in your arms, then killed me! And I believed everything you ever told me!"   
  
"Which was your biggest mistake," Naraku yelled back. "Thorns in my side, all of you. And  
  
now I have you all where I want you."  
  
Yukina wiped the hot tears from her tissue-scarred face. "Kill these fools if that is your wish,  
  
Naraku. But your not bringing me down, too!"  
  
"Naraku may not bring you down, but I will!" Sango laid the glowing katana horizontally  
  
across the bow as though it were an arrow. Dragging the string backward, she let go with a twang as  
  
the sharp blade went slicing through the air.  
  
The dagger slid through Yukina's heart with a disgusting crushing noise. The radiating  
  
power of the Shikon Jewel engulfed her entire body, its pure energy decomposing her wicked form.   
  
"Noooo!" she screeched in pain. "This can't be... happening... oh, Seto!... save me..." With a  
  
gust of victorious wind, her scaled body desentigrated from head to toe, and swept off into the  
  
midnight wilderness.  
  
Seeing he was outnumbered, Naraku, still clutching his wounded shoulder, turned to make  
  
his notorious escape.  
  
"Don't leave, Naraku, the fun is just beginning!" Miroku leapt to his feet, unraveling the  
  
holy pearls around his right hand and unleashed his cursed black hole, devouring everything in its  
  
path.  
  
Naraku narrowed his glowing eyes as an eruption of black light exploded from beneath the  
  
floor between them, knocking the monk's attack useless.  
  
A sharp, wooden chunk of debris whirled upward and collided with Miroku's forehead. Try  
  
as he might to grasp reality, it was slowly... slipping away...  
  
...in a cloud... of confusion...  
  
gasps man that was long. As long and dramatic as it was, I hope you guys enjoyed ch 15! PLZ  
  
REVIEW before I post the last chapters. 


	16. ch16

Note: this super-short chapter doesn't exactly contribute to the San/Mir conflict, but I felt I had to  
  
add it purely for the sense of stirring emotion.  
  
I wish the bird's would stop singing, Sango thought. God this is going to be hard.  
  
The atmosphere surrounding the castle Rumiko sighed with a heavenly peace. The trees  
  
swayed with the wind, harmonizing in a dance of joy over the death of Yukina and the  
  
disappearance of Naraku. Rumiko would be back to normal now, cleansed and no longer tainted  
  
by that mistresses hateful desires.   
  
Inuyasha stepped up the stone stairway to the palace, the injured Sango cradled in his  
  
arms.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Sango?" he asked quietly. "You know we could just  
  
leave and let him be."  
  
The young woman's eyes scanned the grounds of the palace, spotting the daimyo pacing  
  
under the protecting shade of the cherry tree, a look of deep sorrow reflected in his eyes.   
  
"Yes, Inuyasha. I feel partly responsible for the death of daughter. I need to."  
  
The daimyo lifted his head to see two of the hero's of his village approaching. Forcing a  
  
smile, he bowed his head in respect.  
  
Sango bent her head and began to speak. "Daimyo of Rumiko,I can say truthfully that I  
  
know how you feel. I know what it's like to lose family. It is the greatest sorrow one can endure.  
  
The demon ghost Yukina killed many undeserving people, including the sweet Lady Sadako... the  
  
numerous monks, and... the mother of a very good friend of mine..."  
  
...bless you, Lady Sakura...  
  
"... Yukina and Naraku will never again harm your people. If I have to die protecting these  
  
people from evil, I will. I only regret that I wasn't here earlier to prevent the death of your  
  
daughter. From what I have heard of Lady Sadako, she was a kind, sweet person show wouldn't  
  
let death keep her from loving her people. May her spirit bless Rumiko forever."  
  
With tears in his elderly eyes, the daimyo kissed Sango on the forehead, whispered,  
  
"Thank you," and disappeared under the shelter of the cherry tree branches. 


	17. ch17

Note: I am so sorry for making you guys wait. But semester finals got in the way, and then  
  
Christmas. But I have just finished the story and I'm excited beyond compare. So anywho, thanks  
  
for waiting.   
  
Disclaimer: These song lyrics doesn't belong to me, they belong to John Denver, and its called  
  
"Annie's Song". Check through your parents old albums and see if you can find this song because  
  
the music makes it sound even more cool. I fell in love with it when I heard it. (Pretend it's  
  
Miroku singing to Sango.)  
  
  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
You fill up my senses  
  
Like a night in a forest  
  
Like the mountains in springtime  
  
Like a walk in the rain  
  
Like a storm in the desert  
  
Like a sleepy blue ocean  
  
You fill up my senses   
  
Come fill me again.  
  
Come let me love you  
  
Let me give my life to you  
  
Let me drown in your laughter  
  
Let me die in your arms  
  
Let me lay down beside you  
  
Let me always be with you  
  
Come let me love you  
  
Come love again.  
  
Silhouetted against the glowing horizon, her gaunt, weary eyes sparkled as she cradled her  
  
son to her heart.   
  
...and dream clouds float in the air...  
  
"Miroku..."  
  
The decaying cherry blossoms kissed her sunken cheeks, her youthful beauty surrendering to  
  
the evil inside. She opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"One day soon, Miroku... I will die." With large uncomprehending eyes, her black-haired,  
  
ten-year-old son stared at the bravery, the bravery that was slowly failing her. "It will be hard, but  
  
don't let it get the best of you..."  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Shhhh....," she sighed, her ebony hair falling over the boys chubby face. "One day, my son,  
  
you will find someone who will mean the world to you. One day, someone will love you as much  
  
as I do."  
  
The sky darkened and shifted behind Lady Sakura's face. Her sapphire eyes melted to a  
  
chocolate brown as her face strengthened and morphed into that of a young lady's.   
  
  
  
"Miroku?" the figure whispered.  
  
The withered cherry blossoms in Sakura's hair brightened with new life. Beautiful and fresh,  
  
the blossoms adorned the figure's long hair. "How are you feeling?"  
  
The heavy veil of his dream lifted itself from Miroku's eyes to let in the first burst of real  
  
sunlight he'd felt in days, seeping in though the cabin's rafters. And the young lady sitting beside  
  
him, her injured legs spread out before her, was Sango. What more beautiful sight could he have  
  
asked to see when he awoke from his concussion?  
  
"Sango? Why are you awake? You're body is strong, but you need rest."  
  
The slayer smiled slightly. "I know. But I haven't been able to sleep since Inuyasha brought me  
  
back from the castle. I-... um. I've been too worried about you."  
  
Miroku was taken aback. Sango was worried about him?  
  
"How is your arm?" she asked.  
  
The monk looked down at his bandaged arm where his bone had been crushed by Sango's  
  
weapon. "I still can't feel anything below my elbow. Heh... funny how Naraku seems to have it  
  
out for my arms."  
  
Sango smiled at the monk's attempt to laugh in a painful situation. Suddenly she frowned at the  
  
remembrance of Kagome's words after examining Miroku's arm: "The nerve in his arm was  
  
shattered from the blow, Sango. He may never use that arm below the elbow again."   
  
Oh, Miroku, she thought. How could you have let this happen to you? Don't you know I hate  
  
to see you this way?  
  
Sango watched as Miroku's tired eyes closed, his strong chest rising and falling. She had never  
  
felt a love like this before; a fluttering, giddy feeling in her chest. She could never breath or talk  
  
right around Miroku, he was just too good to be true. Sango felt embarassingly foolish for feeling  
  
this way when he probably only saw her as nothing more than a good companion in return.   
  
"The cherry trees bloomed early this year," Miroku's voice cracked through the silence,  
  
interrupting her thoughts. She noticed he was referring to the crown of pink blossoms laced in her  
  
hair that Shippou had make and delivered to her that moring as a "get well" present.   
  
The monk's gaze shifted vaguely to a dark corner of Kaede's hut as though remembering a  
  
forbidden past. "My mother used to wear them in her hair every spring."   
  
Sango felt uneasy as she had only heard Miroku talk about his father... but never about his  
  
mother. "You never told me about her."   
  
"She was the sort of person angels look to as an example. Not to say she didn't have a  
  
mischievous streak. I just wish she hadn't died."  
  
"When-"   
  
"My tenth winter," Miroku stated with a hint of bitterness. "A demon spirit possessed her and  
  
she was too weak to fight it off."  
  
A deafening silence formed between the two.  
  
"You remind me of my mother, Sango. She was perfect."  
  
Sango's head rushed in a dizzying whirlpool as she attempted to absorb Miroku's compliment.  
  
She thought, Did he just say what I think he said? He must really be sick in the head.   
  
The monk watched Sango's eyes widen in wonder. This angel, this woman whom he wanted to  
  
spend eternity with... Miroku had placed his life on the chance that Sango would love him in  
  
return... Without her love in return.... his broken soul would die.  
  
He could no longer bear his own silence. His heart was bursting with the hope that she would  
  
say yes...  
  
"Sango."  
  
"What?" Her voice shook when Miroku grabbed her hand.  
  
"I love you... a lot... I can't explain how deeply I've felt about you since our last months of  
  
traveling together. I don't want you to ever leave my side. I've been so broken since my parents'  
  
deaths... but when I'm around you, I heal. Little by little, I reclaim my life as I realize I need a  
  
radiant, beautiful woman like you in my life to complete me... You glow with the light of life,  
  
Sango."  
  
Sango's heart stopped in absolute shock. As though she couldn't pull herself to believe Miroku  
  
had just poured his heart out to her, she numbly thought, This has to be a dream. My hopes and  
  
fantasies are making me hillucinate!  
  
Miroku wavered and decided to continue with his confession. "You see this place beside me,  
  
Sango?" he placed his hand on the mat next to him. "This is where you belong, at my side. This  
  
connection between us is very special. I want to live every day knowing I will wake up to see  
  
your beauty."  
  
The monk closed his eyes and braced himself for a whack across the head or screams of get  
  
your hands off me!" After a few moments, he heard only the small, tinkling cry a little child. He  
  
opened his eyes to see Sango crying, tears gushing down her cheeks.   
  
In her chest, the pure, innocent joy of his words bounded in her head and spread through her  
  
veins. She was rejoicing... and crying! Miroku loved her! This wasn't just a one way crush! He  
  
really, really loved her!  
  
Sango grabbed her monk's broken arm and pressed the palm to her wet cheek. She  
  
thought: I will heal you my monk. Forever, you will be mine.  
  
"When I lost my family, I had nothing but a mindless quest for the jewel shards and a  
  
couple good friends," she said. " I believed if I kept my emotions numb, I would never care for  
  
anyone the way I cared for my family, and thus stop myself from ever being heart-broken again.  
  
But being near you takes my breath away and gives me joy again. I have a secret, Miroku, and for  
  
so long, I've been too scared to tell you... I love you, too."  
  
...and together we can heal...  
  
"I don't ever want you to leave me," she said looking intently into his eyes. "I never  
  
thought I could be this happy again, but you always make me laugh. Being with people who care  
  
about me has made me realize that I can move on."  
  
"Oh, Sango," the monk whispered breathlessly as he swept her body into his arms and  
  
kissed her lips.  
  
Feelings of indescribable joy surged between the two young lovers; each knowing that  
  
they had attained that which they'd deemed impossible. A long-sought desire was being fulfilled,  
  
racing through the depths of each other's souls and returning to that kiss...  
  
... that vow of togetherness...  
  
... that kiss...  
  
Like a thorn grating on the corners of her memory, Sango remembered a scene that  
  
loomed like a putrid scent. Pulling away from Miroku, she stared into her lap, embarrassed by her  
  
suddeness.   
  
"Sango, what's wrong?"  
  
Sango opened her mouth to speak, but Miroku already knew what she was thinking:  
  
"Sadako."  
  
"Yes. Sadako."  
  
Miroku glanced up above and prayed for guidance: Gods put the right words in my mouth  
  
to explain how I feel.   
  
"Sango. I've done some incredibly immature things in my life. Kissing Sadako was my  
  
biggest. I was desperate for the attention of a woman and... at the time I felt like the person that  
  
meant the world to me didn't care for me."  
  
"Miroku..." she whispered in a pained voice.  
  
"I would choose you a thousand times over any other woman alive. You're different  
  
from them, Sango. The other women I've been with were weak and fickle. You are strong,  
  
Sango. And I love you for that. Please, forgive me. You'll always be first in my heart, even if you  
  
say no: Will you be my wife?"  
  
Sango sighed and laid her head on Miroku's chest, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"You saved my life while putting your own life in danger, Miroku." she gingerly stroked his  
  
bandaged arm. "What more could I ask from you? Yes, without a doubt, I will be your wife. I  
  
love you more that you can ever imagine."  
  
As she softly kissed his neck and ran her hands through his bangs, she could feel her  
  
husband-to-be smiling from ear to ear.   
  
For a moment, they held each other as a unit of togetherness, a family, a couple, content  
  
with the love they held between them, and with their joy that reached the corners of the universe...  
  
"Miroku?" Sango asked suddenly.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
As fast as lightning, Sango whipped her head up, grabbed the neck of his robe in balled  
  
fists, and said with demonic fierceness, "Your heart belongs to me now, Miroku. That means  
  
you're only a lover with me, and I don't ever want to ever catch you with someone else! Do you  
  
understand?!"   
  
Miroku nodded fiercely in surprise. After a few moments of an awkward pause, they both  
  
fell on their sides, laughing hysterically while their ribs ached in pain. He grabbed Sango's waist  
  
and swept her into another memorable kiss.  
  
This marraige, he could tell, would be one of laughter, love, intimacy, and faithfulness.  
  
Caring and forceful, he thought. That's the way I love her.  
  
My perfect mate, she mused. I will never let you go.   
  
Note: Yes! Yes! It's done! And I am so happy! Please review, I need to know what you think!  
  
And thanks so much to those who've already reviewed. You guys are great. The next fanfic im  
  
going to write will be a Yuyu Hakusho story about Youko Kurama. I've already started working  
  
on it but don't expect anything for a couple of months. Bye! 


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